FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 19, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today commemorates World Refugee Day.  According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), nearly 60 million people are refugees or internally displaced, the highest number the agency has ever recorded.  Many of these people are fleeing religious persecution and intolerance.

“Heartbreaking numbers of people have been forced to flee their homes in a desperate attempt to find safe haven, with many trapped in squalid refugee camps and war zones, or risking their lives at sea,” said USCIRF Chairman Dr. Robert P. George.  “Millions are victims of the twin evils of political tyranny and religious intolerance and persecution which have helped create the massive suffering we see today.”   

In Iraq, nearly three million people have been internally displaced due to ISIL’s offensive, with some minority religious communities facing the threat of extinction.  At least 6.5 million of Syria’s pre-civil war population now is internally displaced, and nearly four million more are refugees in neighboring states.  In Nigeria, more than one million people have fled Boko Haram, and in the Central African Republic, a million or more people have been driven from their homes due to sectarian violence; 80 percent of the country’s Muslims have fled the country.  In Burma, at least 100,000 Kachin Christians and 140,000 Rohingya Muslims remain internally displaced, with many living in squalid camps. One in ten Rohingya reportedly have fled by boat, desperately seeking, and often not finding, safe haven in countries like Malaysia and Indonesia.  A record number of refugees also are attempting the dangerous Mediterranean crossing to apply for asylum in Europe, with large numbers coming from Eritrea, Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.”

“The United States and other governments must respond effectively, humanely, and generously to this unprecedented challenge.  While Washington has played a leading role, the U.S. government must do more, including increasing the U.S. annual refugee resettlement ceiling from 70,000 to 100,000 or more, over time, and increasing funding and logistical support to the U.N., humanitarian organizations and refugee host nations and communities.  Such actions would signal to refugees, internally displaced people and our allies that we mean to continue to be part of the solution,” said George.

USCIRF also urges the U.S. government to provide the Department of Homeland Security and other relevant federal agencies the funding and staff to help conduct background checks and process applications in a timely manner.  Furthermore, the U.S. government should work with UNHCR to quickly identify the most vulnerable individuals and families among those who have been displaced and help speed their resettlement.

For more USCIRF recommendations, see USCIRF’s 2015 Annual Report.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-0613.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 18, 2015

For Uighur Muslims in China’s autonomous region of Xinjiang, observing Ramadan – a month-long period of introspection, fasting, prayer, and devotion – is difficult, if not impossible.  The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly urges the Chinese government to end all restrictions on Uighur Muslims’ religious practices and activities, including limitations on Ramadan observance, and honor their right to genuine freedom of religion or belief. 

“The Chinese government repeatedly has insisted that Uighur Muslims obey the state over the dictates of their own conscience,” said USCIRF Chairman Robert P. George.  “This insistence undermines the very foundation of religious freedom, a freedom enshrined in China’s constitution.  China cannot succeed among the global community of nations if it violates the fundamental rights of its own citizens.”  

Already in 2015, the Chinese government has required Muslim store owners in parts of Xinjiang to sell alcohol and cigarettes, in conflict with their religious beliefs and traditions.  Last year, longstanding bans on fasting during Ramadan for Uighur Muslim students, teachers, professors, and government employees were more stringently and widely enforced than in previous years, with some local officials reportedly holding banquets to test Muslims’ adherence to the prohibition.  Daily prayer and certain religious identity markers, such as the veil for women or beards for men, also have been banned in many areas.

Religious freedom and related human rights have deteriorated rapidly, especially in the Muslim majority autonomous region in recent years.  Under President Xi Jinping, the Chinese government has used heavy-handed and indiscriminate measures against Uighur Muslims, resulting in a dramatic increase in arrests for offenses such as attending unregistered mosques or Islamic schools, fasting during Ramadan, or criticizing Chinese government policies.  In September 2014, professor and peaceful Uighur advocate Ilham Tohti was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for alleged “separatism.”  

“Each year, Beijing and regional authorities use the peaceful observance of Ramadan as an excuse to intensify its already strict control and repression of Uighur Muslims,” said George.  “The non-violent expression of religious belief must be protected, and the United States and international community should press China to respect freedom of religion or belief for all.”

In 2015, USCIRF again recommended China be designated as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act for its particularly severe violations of religious freedom.  The State Department has designated China as a CPC since 1999, most recently in July 2014.

For more information, see the China Chapter (in English and Chinese) in USCIRF’s 2015 Annual Report.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 11, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Robert P. George, the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, was elected on June 11, 2015 as Chairman of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).  Dr. George was first appointed to the Commission in March 2012 by Speaker of the House John Boehner and reappointed to a second term in 2014. 

“I am honored to again serve as chair of USCIRF and work alongside my fellow commissioners in support of religious freedom and belief abroad,” said Dr. George. “World events underscore the importance of this fundamental freedom. Religious liberty is an essential human right and a key element in the quest for regional and global security. It deserves a seat at the table with economic and security concerns as the U.S. and other nations conduct their affairs.

“I also want to thank USCIRF’s immediate past-Chair, Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett and Vice Chair, Dr. James J. Zogby for their leadership and vision this past year.  I look forward to continuing our work together,” said Dr. George, who served as USCIRF Chairman in 2013 and USCIRF Vice–Chairman in 2014.

Dr. George also is the Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University.  He has been a Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School, and is a Senior Fellow of the Witherspoon Institute. He has served on the President’s Council on Bioethics and as a presidential appointee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights. He has also served on UNESCO’s World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST), of which he remains a corresponding member.

Also on June 11, two USCIRF Commissioners were elected Vice Chairs: Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser and Dean Eric P. Schwartz.  Dr. Jasser was appointed to the Commission by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in 2012 and reappointed to a second term in 2014.  President Barack Obama first appointed Eric Schwartz in 2013 and reappointed him to a second term in 2014.   

Dr. Jasser is the President of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) based in Phoenix, Arizona and a respected physician currently in private practice specializing in internal medicine and nuclear cardiology.

Mr. Schwartz is the dean of the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and served for 25 years in senior public service positions in government, at the United Nations, and in the philanthropic and non-governmental communities.

Also serving on the Commission are Mary Ann Glendon, Dr. Daniel I. Mark, Thomas J. Reese, Hannah Rosenthal, Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett and Dr. James P. Zogby.

USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate and House of Representatives.  USCIRF’s principal responsibilities are to review the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally and to make policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and Congress.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-0613.